Samsung Germany directs a consumer in RMA to drill or hammer an SSD into submission to protect data from being compromised
On Igor’s Lab forum, a consumer needed to replace a dying SSD and contacted Samsung Germany to assist with help. The drive the user needed to replace was the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB. The Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB is one of the market’s most popular and best-performing solid state drives. Utilizing Samsung’s Magician diagnostic scan application showed the consumer that the SSD would not last much longer, especially with many errors on the NAND flash and in other locations. While most of the information provided is private between Samsung and the user, there was some information that was able to be printed. Due to the sensitive data that needed to be secured, Samsung officially allowed the user to destroy a product they officially make. The official quotes from Samsung support went into detail on how to destroy the drive, suggesting drilling or hammering the drive to pieces. Included in the instructions to the customer was that after they destroyed the product, they would need to submit photographic or video evidence that the drive was damaged so that the company could ensure the process was done as well as know what the product would look like upon receiving at Samsung’s factory. Yes. This was an actual request, but it is not uncommon as the company would need to know the product’s condition before receiving it at their location. What is odd about the process, in general, is that a company usually requests that the product is sent back into normal condition so that the company can determine the state of the device and make a decision of whether they will send a replacement or return the defective device to the consumer. In a condition like this, where the consumer needs to remove or destroy the data as soon as remotely possible and does not have access to using the drive under normal circumstances, it is great to see that the manufacturer understands the need to protect data at all costs and allow for an action, such as physically destroying the drive, to happen. News Sources: Tom’s Hardware, Igor’s Lab
